Ray Nees organized a work day Sunday at Sylvan Island for Friends of Off-Road Cycling, or FORC. About 25 volunteers traveled on boats from the Rock Island shore to the 35-acre island, just south of the Rock Island Arsenal. They hope to rehab about three miles of trails on the island before the new bridge opens in early December.

Volunteer Shane Hicks of Moline and 20-plus other members of Friends of Off-Road Cycling, or FORC, boated themselves and their tools in October 2017 to Sylvan Island to rehab the network of brush-covered trails at the site.

On Sunday, about 25 Friends of Off-Road Cycling volunteers cleared logs and other brush off the mountain bike trails on Sylvan Island in Moline. Organizers estimate they have invested close to 800 hours on the project so far since this past spring.

Guy Larson of Moline, left, and Aaron Griesenbeck of Davenport, along with other Friends of Off-Road Cycling volunteers, boated Sunday from the Rock Island shore to Sylvan Island to clear the formerly groomed trails of brush and debris.

Construction crews recently replaced the bridge that connects Moline to Sylvan Island. Anderson Bridges of Colfax, Wisconsin, fabricated the new steel structure to resemble the old one, which was removed in early October.

General Constructors Inc. of Bettendorf removed this 145-year-old bridge to Sylvan Island last month. Workers replaced the crossing with a new 200-foot-long steel span, about 4½ years after the city of Moline closed the original structure.

Long-awaited bridge to Sylvan Island on track to open early December

Ray Nees organized a work day Sunday at Sylvan Island for Friends of Off-Road Cycling, or FORC. About 25 volunteers traveled on boats from the Rock Island shore to the 35-acre island, just south of the Rock Island Arsenal. They hope to rehab about three miles of trails on the island before the new bridge opens in early December.

Volunteer Shane Hicks of Moline and 20-plus other members of Friends of Off-Road Cycling, or FORC, boated themselves and their tools in October 2017 to Sylvan Island to rehab the network of brush-covered trails at the site.

Guy Larson of Moline, left, and Aaron Griesenbeck of Davenport, along with other Friends of Off-Road Cycling volunteers, boated Sunday from the Rock Island shore to Sylvan Island to clear the formerly groomed trails of brush and debris.

Construction crews recently replaced the bridge that connects Moline to Sylvan Island. Anderson Bridges of Colfax, Wisconsin, fabricated the new steel structure to resemble the old one, which was removed in early October.

The view from the soggy Moline shore Thursday showed a new path to Sylvan Island.

Crews recently poured the top layer of concrete over the deck of the 12-by-200-foot bridge that soon will carry outdoors enthusiasts across Sylvan Slough to the 35-acre island.

“The bridge itself is done,” Ben Hott, project manager for General Constructors Inc. of Bettendorf, said later Thursday. “We’ve gotten a lot of work done in a short amount of time.”

As of this week, Hott said, they are on schedule to open the bridge to the general public by Dec. 6. The Illinois Department of Transportation awarded the $820,560 contract for the job this past April, and General Constructors began working in early September.

“We can’t wait to get it open for everyone,” Hott continued. “It’s (Sylvan Island) something that people from our company use, too.”

In April 2013, engineers deemed the former 145-year-old bridge unsafe for foot traffic, and the city of Moline fenced off the walkway to prevent people from crossing it. Since the closure, only those with boats have accessed what previously has been called a “gem” of the Mississippi River for bikers, hikers, bird watchers and anglers, just south of the Rock Island Arsenal.

Trail work

This past Sunday, about 25 volunteers with Friends of Off-Road Cycling, or FORC, used boats to ferry shovels, hand saws, loppers and rogue hoes to Sylvan Island to rehab their old, overgrown trails.

“Logistically, it’s been pretty tough,” said Ray Nees, who co-organized the effort. “By the time you get over there, unload your tools and set up to work, you’re already tired because of everything you had to do to get to that point.”

However, with help from the top trail builders in the area, he noted, the group made a lot of progress. They chopped through roots and cleared a significant amount of brush, debris and logs that blocked parts of the island’s formerly groomed 4-mile trail network.

“There are places you just can’t tell where the trail was even though we’ve ridden hundreds of laps out there,” said Nees, who reevaluated the situation Thursday with fellow steward Kurt Davis.

On Sunday, about 25 Friends of Off-Road Cycling volunteers cleared logs and other brush off the mountain bike trails on Sylvan Island in Moline. Organizers estimate they have invested close to 800 hours on the project so far since this past spring.

The duo began revisiting their old stomping grounds this past spring, and they since have invested and overseen almost 800 hours of trail work. They hope to ready three miles of trails before the bridge opens and the final mile before next April, just in time to host the 10th Sylvan Island Stampede. The mountain bike race drew more than 300 competitors in 2013.

The following year, Moline received a $1.1 million grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, which is funding 80 percent of the project’s costs. The city is paying for the remaining 20 percent.

'It touches your heart'

As for the old bridge, workers operating a crane from a barge on the Sylvan Slough, a secondary channel of the Mississippi, tore it down in early October and recycled what they could, Hott said. Anderson Bridges of Colfax, Wisconsin, fabricated the new span, which can hold up to 20,000 pounds.

Although the actual bridge work is done, Hott stressed that the structure remains closed until further notice. However, General Constructors is offering FORC volunteers limited access to the bridge during business hours on weekdays, but Nees and the others have full-time jobs of their own.

General Constructors Inc. of Bettendorf removed this 145-year-old bridge to Sylvan Island last month. Workers replaced the crossing with a new 200-foot-long steel span, about 4½ years after the city of Moline closed the original structure.

“We realize it’s somewhat of a tedious task to get their equipment across on kayaks and boats,” Hott said, “but we have to maintain safety on the site.”

Throughout the next month, General Constructors must replace a portion of the Great River Trail, which leads to the entrance of the bridge, finish a retaining wall and add various landscaping features nearby.

In the meantime, Nees plans to make additional trips to the island on his trusty 12-foot flat-bottom boat that he salvaged from his brother’s place.

“Getting to go back out there with just a small group, it touches your heart a little bit,” he said. “The memories of good times come rushing back and you feel like you get to do something that everybody wishes they could do, so yeah, that’s pretty cool.”

Sylvan Island Timeline

First bridge

1872: A bridge to Sylvan Island, located between the Rock Island Arsenal and the Rock Island-Moline border, is built for horse-drawn carriages and ox carts. Before long, a weight limit is placed on the span — only one team of horses is allowed to cross at a time.

Industrious beginnings

1894: A steel plant opens on the 35-acre island, which formerly was home to ice harvesting, quarrying and hydro-electric power operations.

Moline buys land

1966: The city of Moline purchases the island for $75,000 with plans for a park, 10 years after Republican Iron & Steel Co., which occupied half the isle, closed its foundry. The bridge is closed to vehicular traffic just a few years later, following a report on its diminishing carrying capacity.

Volunteers take over

1993: A group of volunteers, dubbed the Sylvan Island Dreamers, band together to clear trees, brush and debris on the island, which they coin the “gem” of the Mississippi River. They also create wider trails, attracting more hikers, bicyclists, anglers and bird watchers.

Island adventures

2005: Friends of Off-Road Cycling hosts its inaugural mountain bike race called the Sylvan Island Stampede, inspiring similar events there in the following years, including River Action's Taming of the Slough and Lagomarcino's Cocoa Beano 5K run. The bridge already has undergone numerous structural improvements at this point.

Bridge deemed dangerous

2013: Engineers determine the bridge to Sylvan Island, which has too much “bounce,” no longer is safe for foot traffic. People ignore "bridge closed" signs, so Moline hires a crew to raise fencing at both ends of the crossing to prevent them from using it.

State steps up

2014: Moline receives a $1.1 million grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program to help replace the decrepit bridge. Only those with boats can access the overgrown island.

New bridge

April 2017: The Illinois Department of Transportation awarded General Constructors Inc. of Bettendorf an $820,560 contract to replace the Sylvan Island span.

October 2017: Crews tear down the old bridge and replace it with a new 200-foot steel crossing, which can hold up to 20,000 pounds. Meanwhile, FORC volunteers work to rehab overgrown trails on the island.

December 2017: The contractor hopes to finish the job and unveil the bridge to the general public by Dec. 6, allowing pedestrians to access Sylvan Island for the first time in about 4 1/2 years.